Phishing Scam Targets TD Banknorth Customers

TD Banknorth consumers are hit with an online scam distributing a phishing e-mail that seeks personal information and likely installs a dangerous malicious program onto the computer of unsuspecting users, according to the Officials at TD Banknorth on June 14, 2008.

The bank, which has already posted an alert on the scam on its official site, informs that TD Banknorth is currently being targeted in a phishing fraud where recipients are getting phishing e-mail that directs them to a deceptive site. On that site, the user is told that he must load a new digital certificate update for an improved login security used for Online Banking or WebExpress.

But the site, instead of updating Online Banking/WebExpress, automatically tries to install a malware on the computer of victim. The malware, then, monitors the site's traffic, intercepts data typed to fill in online forms and finally sends it to the crooks maneuvering the attack.

David Boutin, 55, of Hooksett and a TD Banknorth customer said on June 13, 2008 that he didn't recognize the e-mail to be a phishing message, which claimed to be from Bharat Masrani, President and Chief Executive Officer of TD Banknorth, until he followed a link in it, as reported by UnionLeader on June 14, 2008.

Moreover, the scam e-mail led the recipient to another Webpage soliciting personal information such as debit/credit cards and bank account numbers, password and PIN. The telltale was a URL embedded on the page end: http:///www.jesusembassy.ru/us.tdbanknorth.com/index.html, which becomes visible only by taking a print out of the page. Unfortunately, Boutin might have clicked the link that infected his PC.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Carlson, Spokesperson, TD Banknorth has cautioned customers that if they receive the e-mail, they should overlook it. Also, they must not follow the instructions or adopt the measures it delineates. And finally they could report the phishing incident by calling the bank's phishing hotline, 1-800-893-8554, as reported by UnionLeader on June 14, 2008.

The Officials at TD Banknorth also advised the customers that they should not divulge any of their private information over e-mail without verifying the person they are interacting with.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 7/1/2008